Katey Stone, the former head coach of Harvard University’s women’s hockey team, has filed a sex discrimination lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, asserts that Stone was forced out of her position last year over allegations of misconduct and hazing, which she claims are unfounded. Stone also alleges she faced gender bias and was unfairly compensated during her tenure at the university.
Allegations and resignation
Stone resigned from her coaching role last summer amid reports and an investigation into the culture within the women’s hockey team. The allegations included claims of hazing, such as the so-called “mental-health ‘Hunger Games’” and a “Naked Skate” event, according to reporting by The Athletic.
Stone’s legal claim
In her lawsuit, Stone contends that Harvard compelled her resignation, asserting a broader issue of gender discrimination within the institution. “I will no longer stand idly by in the face of inequity and injustice and allow one of the world’s elite universities to continue to hide behind the fraudulent veil of fairness,” Stone stated at a press conference on Tuesday, as reported by the Boston Globe. She added, “The loss of my career, my reputation, my ability to earn a living doing a job I love, is gut-wrenching. The damage has been real and affects me every single day.”
Attorney’s statements
Stone’s attorney, Andrew Miltenberg, argued that the misconduct allegations were used as a pretext to remove Stone from her position. “Harvard used these allegations to undermine and force Stone out,” Miltenberg claimed during the press conference.
Broader culture of gender discrimination
The 33-page lawsuit details alleged double standards in how Harvard treats male and female coaches. Stone’s suit argues that female coaches are subjected to more rigorous scrutiny and are undervalued and underpaid compared to their male counterparts. “Where female coaches, such as Coach Stone, are expected to be nurturing toward their female players and coach with compassion and sensitivity, male coaches are allowed to be ‘tough’ and hold their male players accountable for their actions,” the complaint stated.
Pay disparity concerns
Stone, who concluded her career as the fourth-winningest coach in women’s hockey, also raised concerns about pay disparity between herself and her male colleagues, despite the women’s program’s successes. “Katey Stone raised this with the administration and was told men have to make quicker in-game decisions,” Miltenberg said during Tuesday’s press conference, as reported by WCVB.
Support and defamation claims
Stone did not take questions from reporters during the press conference, The Athletic noted, but several former players were present to support her. Stone characterized her detractors as a “small number” who “have not felt supported.” Additionally, the lawsuit names 50 Jane Doe defendants accused of defamation for allegedly making false statements to the Boston Globe and Harvard.
Reports of abusive behavior
Both the Boston Globe and The Athletic have published extensive reports detailing alleged hazing and abusive behaviour under Stone’s leadership. However, the lawsuit filed on Tuesday claims these reports are part of a concerted effort to force Stone out, highlighting a “larger culture at the University wherein female coaches are undervalued, underpaid, heavily scrutinized, and held to a breathtakingly more stringent standard of behaviour than their male counterparts.”